I’m not a big fan of graduation. It might have something to do with the fact that they are usually long, tedious, and hard to do anything before, after, or during. At my high school graduation, I fell asleep an hour in. I also wore a pair of old capris and a t-shirt. It wasn’t like anyone could see what I was wearing under it anyway. I’m sure at least one person that day (two other high schools had graduations in that building) wore nothing under neath his or her robe. Which is why this just baffles me. And annoys.

Sure, dress codes are applicable in some situations. But at a high school graduation? Where no one even sees what is being worn? Really?

And dress codes should be fair. If a girl doesn’t want to wear a skirt, let her wear slacks. If a guy doesn’t want to wear pants, he should be free to show up in a kilt.

In case it’s not evident yet, I’m somewhat against abstinence only education. Which is why the news that President Obama has eliminated abstinence only funding from the 2010 budget brings me joy. Now, let’s see if that money gets added to Planned Parenthood and other such organizations.

Bristol Palin is back in the news. And now, she’s promoting abstinence only education. Apparently, she’s forgotten all about her comment about how it’s unrealistic. Or, more likely, her mother is still hoping for a presidential bid in 2012.

I can’t quite figure out what it is, but something about this article rubs me the wrong way. I think it was supposed to be a “poor girl rises up against all odds” kind of story, but it somehow failed. Instead, it reads more like “please help send my daughter to an expensive study abroad program.” When mixed with the fact that she will be going to two such programs in the summer, well, it just leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

I realize that there is a lot of controversy going both ways, but this sounds like an excellent idea to me. I know when I was first learning how to drive, I actually felt a lot better when there was a large, homemade sign in the back of the car identifying me as a student driver. I would have felt even better if it was possible to have it on top of the car done in neon lights.

Just knowing that people on the road knew that I was not very good at what I was doing made me feel better. Plus, they would give me a wide enough berth that if I did mess up in a new and creative way, the damages would be very limited. (Ironically, I was actually a pretty decent driver and had no major problems while learning how to drive – aside from a refusal to go over 20 mph.)

While the idea still needs some work and there are various problems that the article points out, I do think that in general it will make the roads a bit safer and some young drivers much less nervous.